Understanding Hot Tub Chemicals

You’ve created an inviting backyard hot tub oasis with a masterfully designed stone patio, surrounded by lush and tropical plants. But the ambiance you worked so hard to create can be ruined with cloudy water. Don’t let spa maintenance keep you out of the warm waters. Follow our guide to hot tub chemicals to spend more time in your backyard paradise, and less time on water care:

Balance the Water

Understanding and maintaining your hot tub’s alkalinity, calcium level (hardness), and pH level are crucial to keep your hot tub water in suitable condition. Making sense of these levels is as simple as testing each level with a test strip. After each use, dip in a test strip for one second, then wait 15 seconds, or per the bottle instructions, for an accurate reading. Add spa products gradually and retest as needed until levels are balanced.

Add Sanitizers

Unfortunately, bacteria, algae, and viruses love your hot tub’s warm water just as much as you do, so it’s important you use sanitizers to help keep the water clean. Chlorine and bromine are the two most popular bacteria-fighting sanitizers and require manual checking to ensure you don’t have too much or too little in your spa water. Simply check the chlorine or bromine levels with test strips and change the amount of sanitizer you add according to the test results. Products such as ProClear® PLUS can be used in conjunction with sanitizers to improve water care efficiency. And, ozone technology is available on some hot tubs, while the CLEARRAY® system using UV-C technology is now standard on all Jacuzzi® Models. All are excellent options to destroy contaminants and reduce the amount of sanitizer.

Don’t Forget Shock Treatments

Shock treatments break down the residue from your sanitizers along with other contaminants from hot tub users, which otherwise provide food for bacteria to thrive on. Depending on the kind of sanitizers you’ve chosen, you can use chlorine or non-chlorine shock treatments. Balance the water once a week, and keep in mind it’s a good idea to do a shock treatment after a rain storm, water change, or heavy use like a backyard party with your friends and family. Take a water sample to your local authorized Jacuzzi® Hot Tubs dealer for help on hot tub chemicals and shock treatments if you are unsure.